New Orleans to Detroit march seeks to 'fulfill the dream' of health care, housing for all

Poor People's Economic Human Rights CampaignIn 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. urged the nation's dispossessed to 'organize a revolution' against the injustice of poverty. Forty-three years later, the Poor People's Economic Human Rights Campaign has organized a march hoping to revive that call.

The "March to fulfill the dream" began last week in New Orleans and will end in Detroit, culminating in the U.S. Social Forum June 22-26. Organizers say thousands will participate in the march, which will cover 2,300 miles and 24 cities in 12 weeks.

The national activist group is arguing that health care and housing are human rights that all citizens should enjoy. It's not clear how recently-signed health care reform fits in with that agenda.

EconomicHumanRights.org: Right now, in the richest country in the world, record numbers of people are experiencing homelessness and poverty while record profits are being made on Wall Street through the help of massive government bailouts for the rich. Poverty, homelessness, and unemployment are skyrocketing while trillions of dollars are being misappropriated to fight wars abroad. Millions of poor people in the US are being incarcerated, abandoned, and attacked by an economic and political system that prioritizes wealth over health and profits over people. We can and must do better.

Regardless of your beliefs on government aid, it's clear Detroit is a fitting final stop for the campaign. Mayor Dave Bing has suggested the city is home to an actual unemployment rate near 50 percent, and according to a survey conducted this week, more than half of Detroit's homeless population questioned are at risk of dying on the streets.

The survey, organized by the New York-based Common Ground group, sought to identify and count the city's homeless as part of the 100,000 Homes Campaign.

April 9, Freep.com: Among some of the other findings of those surveyed, the average number of years homeless is 5.38; 99 people reported a dual diagnosis of mental illness and substance abuse; 29 of those surveyed were veterans; 32 of respondents report having a history of foster care; a total of 358 inpatient hospitalizations were reported in the past year; a total of 456 emergency room visits were reported in the past three months; 103 people had no insurance; 74 of the respondents reported having been in prison while 149 reported having been in jail.

Click here to learn more about the march. What's your take: Does the U.S. need to do a better job taking care of poor and homeless residents in cities like New Orleans and Detroit?